A Deaf Culture?

Last evening, we watched a DVD titled "Sound and Fury". It was a documentary made in 2000 about a controversy on cochlear implants. These are devices that allow deaf people to hear. The procedure is most effective when it is started at an early age. Preferably pre-school children. It is not effective when started as an adult.

I was surprised to learn that there is a raging controversy in the deaf community on this procedure. At the time the movie was made, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) came out strongly against the procedure. They do not feel that deafness is a handicap. They argue that there is a deaf culture that is every bit as rich and rewarding as the non-deaf culture. Many adults in the deaf community suggest that they would not have the procedure done, even if it were available to them. Furthermore they feel that pre-school children are too young to make a decision between the two cultures and that parents should not force their children towards one culture rather than another. Many in the deaf community feel very strongly (almost violently) about this issue. In fact, both sides see their opponents as being abusive.

It is a very complex and emotional issue. Suppose there was a procedure to change an infant from a disadvantaged minority group into a member of an advantaged group. I believe that some (maybe many) parents would choose this procedure to gain more opportunity for their children. Yet others in the minority group would argue very strongly against the procedure. They would cite the loss of their culture.

The director is very evenhanded about the issue of cochlear implants. He shows one family that decided to have the operation and a second family that decided not to. The second family is just as happy with their decision as the first. I find this evenhandedness to be very refreshing. Too often, documentaries on passionate issues, tend to lean towards one side or the other. The intent of this documentary was not to persuade you to it's point of view, rather to educate you on the issue and for you to understand both sides of the issue.

In the end, I feel that the decision should lie entirely with the parents of the child. The deaf community or the non-deaf community have no business trying to pressure the parents one way or another. This is already an incredibly tough decision for any parent to make.

I am also puzzled by the "deaf culture". I always assumed that deafness was a handicap that anyone would like his or her child to avoid. I would like to know more about this culture and why some feel that it is as rich and rewarding as the non-deaf culture.

Post Movie Comments - I have spent some time on the NAD website this morning. The website has a position statement and a FAQ page on this issue. After the movie was made, NAD has put together a more balanced stance towards cochlear implants. NAD asks parents to become very informed on both sides of the issue and then make an informed decision. While the controversy seems to have calmed down, it is not gone. The FAQ page has the following statement: "A very big concern is that family members, especially parents of young children, may not make informed decisions. The deaf community is distressed that many family members are misled. They are told, for example, that cochlear implants will "make your child hearing". In fact, implants do no such thing."